Daisy Jones & The Six star: 'Taylor Jenkins Reid has a great ability to take you on an adventure in the world'
Introducing... the Radio Times Book Club sponsored by Dr. Oetker Ristorante.
There's a unique magic in discovering a book you can’t put down – and an even greater thrill in pressing it into someone else’s hands, eager for them to share the journey with you. While reading may be a solitary act, here at Radio Times we believe the joy of a brilliant book is best when it’s shared.
Which is why we’re thrilled to unveil the new and improved Radio Times Book Club, proudly sponsored by Dr. Oetker Ristorante. Each month, we’ll select one exceptional title we think you’ll fall for – a story to sweep you up and spark lively debate long after you’ve turned the final page.
Online, you’ll find exclusive features delving into the big questions that each book raises, plus hand-picked suggestions for what to read next. Consider it your guide to great stories. Stay up to date by bookmarking our RT Book Club hub.
What’s more, we’ve found the perfect guide to help lead the conversation: the brilliant Joanna Page. You’ll know her as the ever-cheerful Stacey from Gavin & Stacey – but off-screen, she’s an insatiable reader with lots of opinions on what she’s poring over.
Joanna will share her take on each pick in her new column – you’ll find her thoughts here, with videos and more to keep the discussion going. Watch this space because Joanna has her own book coming out this autumn, chronicling her life so far with the same warmth and wit we know and love.
So, where are we starting? With Atmosphere, the mesmerising new novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Set against the backdrop of Nasa’s space shuttle programme in the 1980s, Atmosphere tells the story of Joan Goodwin, an ambitious astronaut-in-training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center.
For Joan, the stakes couldn’t be higher: she dreams of making history for the generation of women just beginning to break through the stratosphere of a male-dominated field. But when love intervenes, Joan’s path – and her heart – are tested in ways she could never have imagined.
A fateful mission in 1984 changes everything, forcing her to weigh her deepest ambitions against a love that literally defies gravity.
If you’ve read Taylor Jenkins Reid before, you’ll know you’re in expert hands. With a background in Hollywood production, Reid writes fiction that feels cinematic in scope, while never scrimping on details that create glorious characters who are equally at home between the pages and on the screen.
She first made serious waves with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, a dazzling tale of a fictitious Old Hollywood starlet, but it was Daisy Jones & the Six – her 2019 oral history of a fictional 1970s rock band – that catapulted her to household-name status, especially after Amazon Studios adapted it into a hit drama series in 2023.
“Taylor Jenkins Reid has this great ability to let you in on a world and take you on an adventure in it,” says actor Josh Whitehouse, who starred as Eddie Roundtree in Daisy Jones & the Six.
“I have no doubt Atmosphere will be another huge success – there’s such a great demand for Reid’s work. I can’t wait to see what world she’s created now, and I can only hope one day soon another opportunity to play make-believe for her on a set somewhere comes along.”
High praise indeed – and even more reason to dive into the works of Taylor Jenkins Reid now. So, grab your copy, settle in, and join us in the club. Head to RadioTimes.com for more from Joanna, extra reading inspiration and details on how you can join the conversation. After all, some stories are too good to keep to yourself.
HUNGRY FOR MORE? For a midweek treat, Joanna sat down with the Dr. Oetker Ristorante Quattro Formaggi pizza, containing an irresistible blend of four cheeses and thin and crispy base, which paired perfectly with Atmosphere's irresistible love story.
For all the latest RT Book Club news, interviews, Q&As with the authors, reviews of previous books and more, visit The Radio Times Book Club sponsored by Dr. Oetker Ristorante.
You can purchase Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, our book of the month, at the Radio Times Shop.
Authors
Helen Daly is the Deputy Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing new initiatives and commercial projects for the brand. She was previously Deputy TV Editor at a national publication. She has a BA in English Literature and an MA in Media & Journalism from Newcastle University.
